Shrine of the Book, Literary museum in West Jerusalem, Israel
The Shrine of the Book is a literary museum in West Jerusalem, Israel, located within the Israel Museum complex. A white dome rises above a shallow reflecting pool and marks the above-ground portion of the building, while most exhibition spaces lie below ground level.
The museum opened in 1965 to house the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient manuscripts discovered between 1947 and 1956 in caves near Qumran. Architects Armand Bartos and Frederick Kiesler designed the structure, whose shape echoes the jars in which the scrolls were originally found.
The building's white dome and black basalt wall are interpreted as the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness from the War Scroll, one of the Qumran manuscripts. The dome's shape recalls the lids of the jars in which the scrolls were found, and the surrounding water jets echo the purity rituals of the Qumran community. The Isaiah Scroll is shown as a complete facsimile at the center of the hall.
Due to preservation requirements, the Dead Sea Scrolls rotate through displays, with each manuscript shown for three to six months. The underground exhibition spaces are climate-controlled and dimly lit to protect the fragile parchments.
Two-thirds of the building structure lies below ground level, which helps maintain temperature and humidity control for the fragile manuscripts. The black basalt wall section beside the white dome symbolizes the struggle between light and darkness as described in the War Scroll.
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